Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati participated on Wednesday in the Global Refugee Forum 2023 in Switzerland. During his speech, he talked about the Syrian refugee crisis in Lebanon and its consequences on the country.
“It has been thirteen years since the start of the Syrian crisis, and its direct repercussions on Lebanon are evident, including the presence of over one and a half million Syrian refugees on our land and a significant rise in birth rates,” he said.
Mikati sounded the alarm by explaining that the challenges Lebanon faces “due to this displacement extend beyond economic and social aspects and disrupt the demographic balance with the increase in Syrian births, the rise in crime rates, and prison overcrowding, exceeding the capacities of Lebanese authorities to cope. The competition for limited job opportunities has also escalated tensions and security incidents.”
Mikati addressed his concern with the new influx of Syrian refugees through illegal passages, primarily driven by economic motives, expressing his worry that the majority of these new refugees are young. “While our Army and security forces diligently strive to prevent unjustified refugee caravans, this unauthorized migration threatens our sovereignty, disrupts our identity, and deliberately or inadvertently alters the Lebanese composition,” he said.
He argued that even though Lebanese people disagree on various issues, they are nevertheless unified in demanding the international community to resolve the refugee issue and not pressure Lebanon into retaining them on its land.
He revealed that the soon-to-be published annual report prepared by the World Bank highlights that the cost of the Syrian displacement on Lebanon since the beginning of the Syrian war amounts to tens of billions of dollars, wondering whether it is acceptable for the world to watch a country crumble under burdens it cannot bear and that are imposed upon it.
He suggested a comprehensive plan that addresses the root causes of the Syrian crisis, ensuring the safe and voluntary return of refugees to their homeland. “This plan should prioritize supporting and reintegrating Syrian refugees in Syria,” he said. Mikati also suggested adopting a scientific classification distinguishing between Syrian workers and displaced people as refugees. “It is essential to establish a national mechanism to determine the legal status of every Syrian displaced person in Lebanon, obligating private sector employers to employ Syrian workers under conditions that minimize competition with Lebanese competencies,” he added. Additionally, he proposed identifying categories of displaced Syrians eligible for facilitated return, establishing a timeline for their return while ensuring the application of legal, security, economic, and social guarantees.
“These steps stem from the national vision of the government, of most Lebanese political forces, in addition to requirements grounded in the interests of both the Lebanese and Syrian people, as well as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations, which we are committed to upholding,” the PM added.
Mikati considered that “witnessing the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza places us before a dual challenge consisting of actively addressing the issue of Syrian displacement, ongoing since 2011, and examining the recent situation associated with Gaza.”
In this context, he reiterated the demand to cease the continuous Israeli aggression against Lebanon, which “resulted in the loss of hundreds of lives, casualties, and direct and indirect losses that have negatively impacted the national economy already burdened by the presence of millions of Syrian refugees and Palestinian refugees, surpassing any country’s capacity to endure.”
“Lebanon can no longer bear this burden alone, and it’s everyone’s responsibility to take ownership of this issue,” the PM concluded.
